Diocese of Beaumont

Contents

The Diocese of Beaumont (Latin: Dioecesis Bellomontensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church covering nine counties in the state of Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica serves as the cathedral church.

History

1690 to 1900

The first Catholic mission in Texas, then part of the Spanish colony of New Spain was San Francisco de los Tejas. It was founded by Franciscan Father Damián Massanet in 1690 in the Weches area. The priests left the mission after three years, then established a second mission, Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas. near present-day Alto in 1716.[1]

In 1839, after the 1836 founding of the Texas Republic, Pope Gregory XVI erected the prefecture apostolic of Texas, covering its present-day area. The prefecture was elevated to a vicariate apostolic in 1846, the year that Texas became an American state. In 1847, the vicariate became the Diocese of Galveston.[2] The Beaumont area would remain part of several Texas dioceses for the next 119 years.

In 1880, St. Louis Parish was founded in Beaumont, the first in the city.[3] Fifteen years later, the parish started St. Louis School, the first Catholic School in Beaumont. Today it is the St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School.[4]

In 1897, successful businessman Bill Fletcher funded the contruction of the first hospital in Beaumont. Wounded in the foot in 1861 during the American Civil War, he received attentive care from the Sisters of Charity at his hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Himself a Protestant, years later he wanted to repay the kindness of the Sisters. The Sisters of Charity opened Hotel Dieu Hospital in1898.[5]

1900 to 2000

The first Catholic Parish in Port Arthur, St. Mary's, was founded in 1903.[6] In 1928, St. Mary's Hospital was established in Port Arthur by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.[7]The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in 1962 opened St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.[7] Today it is Christus Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth Hospital.

On September 29, 1966, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Beaumont and appointed Vincent Harris of Galveston-Houston as its first bishop.[8] During the 1960s, Harris criticized the Knights of Columbus councils in the diocese that refused to admit African-Americans.[9] In 1971, Harris was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Austin.[10]

Pope Paul VI in 1971 named Bishop Warren Boudreaux of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana to replace Harris.[11] In 1974, Boudreaux began an outreach effort to people who made their living harvesting seafood and working on ships.[12] After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the diocese received national recognition for its resettlement of refugees from what was then South Vietnam. Boudreaux was named bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in 1977.[11]

Bishop Bernard J. Ganter of the Diocese of Tulsa was the third bishop of Beaumont, appointed by Paul VI in 1977.[13] As bishop, Ganter established five new parishes, including the first Vietnamese-language parish in the United States.[14] He initiated the permanent diaconate in the diocese and ordained 36 men as priests between 1979 and 1992.[15] Ganter died in 1993.[13]

In 1994, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Anthony Galante of the Archdiocese of San Antonio became the next bishop of Beaumont, appointed by Pope John Paul II. Five years later, Galante was named coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Dallas.

2000 to present

Auxiliary Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston was named by Pope John Paul II to replace Galante in 2000.[16] Guillory created the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Beaumont and started a capital campaign for it.[17][18] He retired as bishop of Beaumont in 2020.[16]

David Toups from the Diocese of St. Petersburg was named bishop of Beaumont by Pope Francis in 2020.

Sex abuse

David Arceneaux of Nederland, Texas, sued the Diocese of Beaumont in 2010, claiming that he had been sexually abused by two diocesan priests, August Pucar and Roger Thibodeaux, when he was a minor.[19] Pucar was removed from ministerial duties in 2006 and ordered to a life of penance and prayer in 2007.[20] Thibodeaux resigned from the ministry in 2002.[20]

In 2019, the diocese issued a list of 13 clergy, living and deceased, with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[21]

Bishops

  1. Vincent Madeley Harris (1966–1971), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Austin
  2. Warren Louis Boudreaux (1971–1977), appointed Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux
  3. Bernard J. Ganter (1977–1993)
  4. Joseph Anthony Galante (1994–2000), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Dallas and later Bishop of Camden
  5. Curtis J. Guillory, SVD (2000–2020)
  6. David Toups (2020–present)

Education

As of 2026, the Diocese of Beaumont has five schools. Its one high school, Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, is located in Beaumont.[22][23]

References

  1. 1.Texas Almanac-Diocese of Tyler
  2. 2."History". Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  3. 3."A Concise History of Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica" (PDF). St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  4. 4."St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School". www.sacbstx.org. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  5. 5."Accidental Meeting Helped Beaumont Get First Hospital (March 2015) | Archive - 2015 | Judy Linsley | Local Writers' Columns | Center for Regional Heritage Research | SFASU". www.sfasu.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  6. 6."History of Saint Mary Parish". St. Joseph Catholic Church. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  7. 7.[7.2]"Overview of Catholic Health Facilities in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  8. 8."Diocese of Beaumont". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  9. 9.Newman, Mark (2018-10-04). Desegregating Dixie: The Catholic Church in the South and Desegregation, 1945-1992. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-1887-4.
  10. 10."Bishop Vincent Madeley Harris". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  11. 11.[11.2]"Bishop Warren Louis Boudreaux [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  12. 12."The Episcopacy of Bishop Boudreaux 1971-1977". Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  13. 13.[13.2]Ryan, Steven P. (September 8, 2020). "History of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
  14. 14."GANTER, BERNARD JACQUES (1928-1993)". The Handbook of Texas Online.
  15. 15."History of The Diocese Of Beaumont". Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01.
  16. 16.[16.2]"Bishop Curtis John Guillory [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  17. 17.Jakobeit, Larry. "Bishop's Biography". Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  18. 18.Ramos, Jorge (2020-08-20). "Beaumont Archdiocese Bishop Curtis Guillory reflects on 20-year legacy". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  19. 19.Firm, Sloan. "Man Alleging Sexual Abuse and Fraud Against Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, Area Church and Local Priest, According to Sloan Firm Filing". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  20. 20.[20.2]"Names of Clergy with Credible Accustions" (PDF). Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  21. 21."13 clergy named by Diocese of Beaumont as 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse in last 52 years". 12newsnow.com. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  22. 22."Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School". www.mkchs.com. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  23. 23."Catholic schools". Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved 2026-06-21.